Irish mythology says that the Tuatha Dé came to Ireland thousands of years ago from islands across the ocean where advanced spiritual practices flourished. The myths give various accounts of their arrival and origins, but one Irish source says that the wise agree that the Tuatha Dé came from heaven, because of the excellence of their knowledge. This tells us that whatever their origins, the source of their spiritual knowledge and power was ultimately the Otherworld.

Another of their names suggests something about the quality of their shamanic interactions with the Otherworld. In later manuscripts, the Tuatha Dé were also called the Tuatha Dé Danu, often translated as the "Tribes" or "People of the Goddess Danu." However, the word dán in Old Irish means art, creation, or co-creation. Artists and craftspeople, as well as shamanic practitioners, were often called the Áes Dana, the People of Art, and were sometimes thought of as descendants of the Tuatha Dé.

The word dán is used in a variety of ways. It can be an artistic or scientific gift, a gift from man to God, a gift from God to man, or an inspired poem or artwork. Dán in the largest sense is the power by which we co-create our lives with God -- the greatest art we can produce being a life in harmony with the Sacred. So the name Tuatha Dé Danu can also mean "The Co-creative Tribes of God."

Understanding this co-creative power involves looking into creation mythologies. In this context co-creation refers to a synergy between Divine and human to manifest the Creator's will on Earth via our individual gifts. This creation process is generated between polarities and is reflected in the Primal creation myths of many peoples. In these myths you find a primordial division described, where the Creator divides Itself, creating the polarities of Source and Force, feminine and masculine, as two parts of a Primal Trinity; Mother, Father and Creator. The first schism sets off the creation reaction, where God shatters into matter, creating all being from Him/Her/Itself. All other deities are therefore aspects of the Creator. They are later emanations of God.

In Celtic tradition, the primary male deity is the Dagda, the Good God, and the primary female deity is the Mórrígan, which can mean the Great Queen or the Sea Queen. Another name for the Mórrígan is Anu or Danu, Mother of the Gods.

The 9th century Celtic Christian theologian John Scotus Eriugena, coined the term theophany to describe God made manifest. Theophanies include all spiritual as well as physical beings, the natural world and ourselves. In Celtic tradition, God isn't separate from Creation or from us, though He/She/It is also transcendent and unlimited by the physical.

The burning hand symbol used throughout this site represents the co-creative process by which God pours the universe forth and participates in it through all of us. The black of the hand symbolises the generative, feminine Source of creation. The blue flame is the masculine, vivifying Force of creation. Blue is physically the hottest colour, like the base of a flame, or the fire of the youngest, hottest stars, making it the colour of manifestation

We all have the ability to become consciously aware of our union with God, and act co-creatively with Him as His hands on Earth as the symbol indicates. When our will becomes one with God's, (which is really also the will of our own highest self) all things become possible for us. With this understanding it's easy to see why the Irish Celtic tradition traced many advanced shamanic practices to the Tuatha Dé by virtue of their co-creative power. The Dagda, Father God of the Tuatha Dé, is the patron Deity of Druídecht, the Druidic arts.

The Druids

The Druids acted as the shaman-priests of the Celts. They acted as shamans in that they were oracles, undertook the spirit journey, used traditional shamanic trance induction methods like drumming and ecstatic dance and used their powers to benefit others. They acted as priests because they were the custodians of spiritual tradition, theology and philosophy, working within the framework of Celtic cosmology. In the early Irish tales, such as the Siege of Druim Damhgaire, the Druid Mog Roith uses shamanic gear like his bird winged head-dress and drum, dances around the fire, and spiritually journeys into the Heavens.

The name Druid itself has shamanic associations. It can mean "one who has knowledge of the oak," but since the oak is also the "strong tree" it means one with powerful knowledge. The -uid comes from the same root word as the English witness, and so means knowledge that is personally seen. The oak can also be the World Tree the shaman uses to access the realms of the Otherworld.

Because the word Druid has become associated in modern times with various kinds of spiritual beliefs and practices, many that do not involve visionary, shamanic techniques, Geo Trevarthen (formerly Geo Cameron) prefers to use the term shaman-priest for clarity.